“Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway uses symbolism to illustrate the topic of conversation between a couple, even if they never mention it directly. The symbolism is shown when the couple is in a train station bar and the girl notices the hills like white elephants. There are many aspects such as drinking beer, the hills as white elephants and repeating the number two that play an important role in understanding the story completely. All of these elements combine together to play a role in the author's purpose, as well as the plot of the story. A symbol is an image with a significant meaning that must be decoded to fully understand its meaning. Additionally, there are many symbols in the story that can be interpreted as having a larger meaning in the story. An example of a symbol is the “Hills like white elephants”. In today's society, many people use the expression “there is a white elephant in the room” as a communication topic, something that is unwanted or something they don't want to talk about. In this selection, the “Hills like white elephants” do not actually represent hills; readers may instead infer that it is the operation the couple tries to avoid discussing. When the girl initially makes a comment about the hills, she says it so she can start a conversation about the operation. He feels the surgery is something they haven't discussed, but needs to be discussed thoroughly. In this story, the reader can infer that the operation is the white elephant in the room. There are several symbolic elements in the story; however, “The deeper levels of this story are revealed by examining not only what is implied through irony but also what is indicated by symbolism and repetition” (Holla...... middle of paper.... .. type of literature. By analyzing these elements, readers can determine why the author wrote the story. In "Hills Like White Elephants", readers can analyze the story and identify the elements of symbolism. reader can determine which symbols mean the story or whether they have different meanings in the story, Hemingway used the hills as white elephants, the repetition of the number two, and the concept of the drinking couple to better explain to the readers the purpose for which he was writing the story or to help explain the plot. Works Cited Holladay, Hall “Hills Like White Elephants.” Masterplots II: Short Story Series, revised edition (2004): 1-3 Web February 23, 2014. Hemingway, “Hills Like White Elephants.” ." Literature and the writing process. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1996. 240-43. Press.